Megatech's Avion indoor R/C plane defies laws of logic

You can thank the ominous sounding Megatech International for making your indoor-flying fantasies come to life with their latest remote control offering, the Avion. With its miniature 7.5-inch wingspan, petite 8.4 gram weight, and adorable Spectrum-Link Optic-Control (which uses "Stereoscopic range finding" for tracking, similar to human eyes), the Avion can supposedly glide and twist through small indoor spaces -- a feature apparently in high demand among R/C plane enthusiasts and precocious Red Baron-imitating mice. Check the video after the break for smooth sounds, and an even smoother hallway flight show.

[Thanks, Vincent]

[Gordy @ Jun 19th 2007 9:11AM]

Sounds schweet! Too bad my job is blocking whatever site is hosting the video.

[Ben @ Jun 19th 2007 9:25AM]

it's YouTube. sorry, unlike here, they might want you to work!

[Gordy @ Jun 19th 2007 9:34AM]

Yep...sucks to be me...

[John Storm @ Jun 19th 2007 11:11AM]

check out the plane flying outdoors too, looks awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6sPSoOQWO4

[zack @ Jun 20th 2007 2:19PM]

blah work sucsk like that. yea some places actually want you to work.

[TomL @ Jun 19th 2007 9:25AM]

Hey, what's that kid doing in my nana's house?
Get out!

[Nick Soper @ Jun 19th 2007 9:54AM]

I have something nearly identical an RC X-Twin. Instead of a rudder it has two engines that alternate power to change direction. It only costs about £18 down here in South Africa (R200). Couldn't find the official website but these people have images. http://www.urbanjunkie.co.uk/product.php/418/0/

[John Storm @ Jun 19th 2007 12:58PM]

the RC X-Twin you speak of rubbish. the Avion is smaller, more durable, actually flies well indoors, has 20 minute runtimes, and can be controlled much better (fully proportional rudder and throttle). i just bought one of these at my local hobby shop last week and haven't been able to put it down since!

[Alex Yee @ Jun 19th 2007 3:27PM]

got the mini biplane here which can do identical. Looks similar too. www.iwoot.com

[Nick Soper @ Jun 27th 2007 5:55AM]

As you say the RX-Twin is rubbish, my right engine broke.

I have to say it was the most fun 6 weeks ever. I got about 20 minutes fly time and it was really manouvarable. Obviously not that durable as far as milage is concerened.

[thenobleshrew @ Jun 19th 2007 9:57AM]

Where do I get one?

[Rick @ Jun 19th 2007 10:12AM]

Notice the IR of his control unit blinking. But very cool. I really would like to see this with a remote video camera.

[Mike @ Jun 19th 2007 11:07AM]

The controller doesn't blink, it's the camera picking up the spectrums from the controller.

[Brandon @ Jun 19th 2007 10:13AM]

Ok cool but how do you STOP it from flying? Wouldn't it just avoid you? Lol...

I guess you grab it from behind or swat it out of the air.

[Brandon @ Jun 19th 2007 10:15AM]

Oh...I forgot it was remote controlled... ^_^

[zack @ Jun 20th 2007 1:57PM]

pull back on the throttle to shut the motor off lyk 2 feet from the ground and it glides down gently. this is good cause it's so light it won't hurt if u do mess up and hit urself! haha

[grundler @ Jun 19th 2007 10:14AM]

I wonder if these are sturdy enough so that whenever my cat catches it, she will not be able to tear it to shreds before i can rescue the distressed plane...

[Rick Lyon @ Jun 19th 2007 10:16AM]

That pretty neat, much more fun in larger, more open rooms.

[Wiserun @ Jun 19th 2007 10:19AM]

You can get it here: http://tinyurl.com/2q7uav, but it's much more expensive than I would have thought reading the press release.

[Mike @ Jun 19th 2007 11:07AM]

You can find out more information at www.megatech.com and AvionRC.com will be launching soon for lots more info on the product.

[Bill @ Jun 19th 2007 12:04PM]

I don't know... It definitely looks cool and all, but even in a large house you're going to have to fly pretty much in continuous circles to avoid hitting stuff. And outdoors, something this small would be unflyable in even the lightest breeze.

I think I'll stick with RC helicopters for indoor flying. I had one of those Radio Shack miniature helis for a while, but it was way too flimsy and finicky for me, so I took it back. So I will wait a few more generations before getting one again. 

[Mike @ Jun 19th 2007 12:25PM]

Looks like it flies pretty decently outdoors from this video.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=z6sPSoOQWO4

[Aaron @ Jun 19th 2007 12:22PM]

Helicopters are worse, if you hit something you are garunteed to hit the blades and most likely break something. Also they are hard as *&$# to learn.

[murray @ Jun 19th 2007 1:01PM]

@Mike: true, but you would need a *perfectly* calm day to fly outside.

[John Storm @ Jun 19th 2007 2:35PM]

i've actually flown one outdoors. does surprisingly well, have even caught thermals. gusts are fun bc they make it do "tricks" that are easily recovered. the motor has more than enough power to keep control in medium wind. in normal flight you spend most time at low to mid throttle, and high throttle for extremely quick climbing.

[Randal Pike @ Jun 19th 2007 12:24PM]

This is just a reply to the people asking where to get one. WWW.theavion.com And Ebay Most of teh big hobby stores (tower) will not have them till late this month.

[murray @ Jun 19th 2007 1:00PM]

Tiny indoor r/c aircraft are common nowdays, but there are a couple things about this one that are quite impressive. Namely, fully-proportional throttle and rudder controls; and electronic TRIM! This means you should be able to get it to fly reasonably well. With most cheaper tiny fliers, it's kind of a crap-shoot, and you end up fiddling a lot to try to calibrate it. Another thing I like a lot is that it's a pusher design, meaning you don't damage the prop when you inevitably hit stuff.

This is explains why it's quite pricey.

[johnzilla @ Jun 19th 2007 1:35PM]

My dog would go absolutely apesh*t if I started flying this thing around in my house!

[Kevin @ Jun 21st 2007 9:54AM]

haha, i think it would drive my wife crazy too, oh well

[Josh @ Jun 21st 2007 10:36AM]

If you could attach a flashlight to the thing, then your dog wouldn't know what to do!

[Kevin @ Jun 21st 2007 10:41AM]

better yet, a laser! my dog flips out at those.

hmm, laser... how about some kind of artillery too?

[sygyzy @ Jun 19th 2007 1:37PM]

How is this thing worth $90-100 when you compare it to planes/copters like the Air Hog, Picco Z, Hughes 300 Fairy, etc? The post talked about some fancy collision avoidance system but I saw none of that in the videos. The plane just flies in circles!

[John Storm @ Jun 19th 2007 3:09PM]

why are you comparing the Avion to crap? of course it will cost more than those toys. how about you compare it to the closest thing to it, the Plantraco Butterfly. it has the exact same actuation and performance, plus the Avion is stronger, more durable, and can fly outdoors. how much does the butterfly cost? $240... i would be afraid to fly that thing in fear of breaking it.

[Randal Pike @ Jun 19th 2007 2:17PM]

It stands up to most crashes reasonable well. The biggest problem i have so far is do not land it on concrete or very hard surfaces The charging jack as well as the receiver and on off switch are on the underside of the nose. Most crashes can be fixed with a little clear tape Just make sure to add the weight to both sides. After a repair if it flies leaning to one side just a little tape to the other side to balance it back out.

Http://www.theavion.com

[Randal Pike @ Jun 19th 2007 6:19PM]

The Avion does not just fly in circles If it does you need to set the trim of the balance is off (it weighted on one side.) Really easy to fix just place a small piece of tape on the side opposite it turns.

[Josh L. @ Jun 19th 2007 2:58PM]

So wait, it's IR controlled? Does this mean we can't strap laser tag lasers (and receivers) to it? Cause that would REALLY make it fun!

And when it "dies" it slowly powers down for a few seconds.

That would be awesome.

Get working on it.

[John Storm @ Jun 19th 2007 5:20PM]

sygyzy,

sorry if i offended you by praising a good product. so what if i'm stoked about something i just bought and am willing to provide info to people who don't have it yet. didn't know that this would make it worth discrediting my comments.

and if you haven't noticed, i'm not the only one here saying great things about the plane...

anyway, like i said, i own the product. it doesn't just fly around in circles. if you ease up on the throttle a bit you can literally walk behind it and follow it from room to room.

[zack @ Jun 20th 2007 2:54PM]

teh onyl reason it's flying in circles is because he's in a room u moron. if u look at the outdoor video it does more. research before u reply.

[sygyzy @ Jun 19th 2007 4:52PM]

John,

Nobody can take your posts seriously because it really sounds like you work for the company. You still didn't address my point about how the Avion just flies around in circles. You just call other planes names.

[Maxence @ Jun 19th 2007 3:27PM]

Looks sweet. I know what my bro's getting for his birthday now!

[Craig @ Jun 19th 2007 4:38PM]

this thing is radical -- very cool. Smart product from smart people. Bring on more!

[brendan Sheehan jnr @ Jun 19th 2007 4:40PM]

That's my favorite 50 cent song! :P

[ElleNYC @ Jun 19th 2007 4:50PM]

My Megatech package arrived this week. I haven't been able to stop flying the Avion, it's the sexiest, lightest, smoothest R/C gadget I've ever seen. And it handles outdoors remarkably well.

[Kal-El @ Jun 19th 2007 5:30PM]

How much is it?

[K @ Jun 20th 2007 12:52PM]

i've seen it for under $90

[Mac405 @ Jun 19th 2007 6:25PM]

looks awesome. i want one!

[Rick @ Jun 19th 2007 9:48PM]

If you're wondering who has them, I just got mine at www.rchobbyexplosion.com. The sales guy said they had plenty in stock. In three days I'll have it and I'll let you know what I think.

[Dustin @ Jun 20th 2007 5:17AM]

Im in ur house, flyin ur planez

[Kevin @ Jun 20th 2007 10:00AM]

just back ordered one, hopefully it comes soon...

[bigO @ Jun 20th 2007 10:02AM]

totally gnarly!